Day: June 9, 2022
New CT Scan in BeGH Big Help for Indigent Patients
The provincial-managed Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) has recently received a new computerized tomography (CT) scan machine, a good news for indigent patients.
Governor Dr. Melchor Daguines Diclas, DOH Usec. Mario Villaverde, Regional Director Rio Magpantay, reps from Congressman Eric Go Yap’s office, and other personnel of BeGH and Provincial Health Office (PHO) led the blessing and turn-over ceremony for the new CT scan machine at the BeGH Thursday, June 9, 2022.
The new machine was procured through the Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19 (HEAL) Project funded under the loan agreement between the Philippine government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Gov. Diclas thanked the Department of Health (DOH) for their continued support stressing the benefit of the new CT scan machine especially to indigent patients.
Gov. Diclas shared about the eventualities which may occur while transporting patients from one hospital to another. “Along the way pwedeng may mangyari sa patients,” he said. Now that the hospital has a CT scan, patients need not to be referred to private health facilities since the hospital can now do the necessary procedures.
The BeGH then received a CT scan machine in 2015 which was also donated by the DOH, but it bogged down according to BeGH chief of hospital Dr. Maria Imelda Ulep. Patients have been referred to private healthcare facilities to address service delivery gaps and outsource imaging or CT scan services, Dr. Ulep added.
Further, Usec. Villaverde said the DOH is set to distribute 33 CT scans to 33 various hospitals in the country with the ADB-HEAL project.
“[BeGH] is among the first hospitals to receive this kind of assistance,” Usec. Villaverde said commending the LGU of Benguet through the leadership of Governor Diclas and the project team of BeGH in providing the “retrofitting” works. “Kasi hindi rin namin bibigyan kung hindi ready ‘yong site na paglalagyan,” he added.
The CT scan machine will soon operate probably next week or within the month once the certification from the FDA is provided which is a requirement for the filing for the License to Operate.
Meanwhile, RD Magpantay in his message during the turn-over ceremony reaffirmed his support to the province of Benguet saying “this [undertaking] is an opening of a better partnership with the province of Benguet ably headed by Governor Dr. Melchor Diclas.” Partnership is about sharing, he added.
With the strong partnership between the LGU and DOH, Gov. Diclas also hopes to have an MRI at the hospital in the near future.
